YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI | CHAPTER 1 - SAMADHI PADA | VERSE 22 | COMMENTARY
Mridu-madhya-adhimatratvat tatopi visheshah.
मृदुमध्याधिमात्रत्वात् ततोऽपि विशेषः ॥१.२२॥
Mṛdumadhya̅dhima̅tratva̅t tato’pi viśeṣaḥ ||1.22||
Urge to achieve Liberation can be of weak, medium or high intensity.
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There can be 3 types of people eager for achieving success on this path:
1. With weak intensity desire – such people do not prioritize Sadhana. It is something that is done if free time can be found.
2. With mild intensity desire – such people may start with a high intensity but are unable to keep up the motivation and it fizzles out. They do not give the utmost priority to their Sadhana. The time and efforts given is average.
3. With high intensity desire – they give the highest priority to their Sadhana and achieve success earliest.
This quality is not limited to only Yoga Sadhana but with any goal in life. If one reads about the extraordinarily successful people, we find they went beyond the normal structure of daily routine. They worked long hours, and did not focus on anything else at all. They follow this routine for a long, long time, but the success they achieve is nothing less than supernatural. Elon Musk, Cristiano Ronaldo, Virat Kohli and Late. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (former President of India) are fine examples. I had a teacher in my college who had worked under Dr. Kalam in the DRDO Lab and he used to tell stories about Dr. Kalam. He said Dr. Kalam had no sense of day or night, and seemingly operated without food and sleep. The lab he used to enter, that staff knew they may not get to go home that night. He never married. He took the Indian Space Program and Missile Programs to unprecedented heights.
The intensity of the desire manifests into efforts. In the earlier Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali mentions the importance of revering the practice. If one has a strong intensity of desire, reverence automatically comes. One is grateful for the knowledge bestowed by the Guru and make it a priority to practice Sadhana. That which you honor brings you honor in return. Hence, the sadhana fructifies early. Those with average motivation just need a follow up of the knowledge after some time again and again. They will take some more time to achieve success. Those who do not prioritize it at all may or may not achieve any success unless the Guru bestows His Grace. Without any intention to achieve success, one cannot work towards any goal for a long time and hence it cannot be successful unless Luck strikes.
It must be understood here that high intensity of desire does not mean a higher Sadhana. A simple practice that a Guru has imparted to the disciple, if done with reverence, honor and faith will take the participant close to achieving Samadhi. Neither does the intensity translate to impatience, for impatience breeds frustration which leads to imbalance in the mind. All other responsibilities must be fulfilled too, but the priority must be set according to situation and age.
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